Dear Source:
What is going on with Police Chief Rodney Querrard? I am listening and reading with interest all the talk about Commissioner James McCall and the state of the Virgin Islands Police Department.
I have seen some changes in the VIPD like increased arrests, more confiscated guns, the auxiliaries, the cadets, increased training, new equipment and the like. I get all this information through the media and thanks to the new public information officer who works to get the information out seemingly around the clock.
However, what I hear from Ms. Rames is a lot of activity from the police officers on St. Croix and hardly any activity from the police officers on St. Thomas where most of the crime occurs. I hear Chief Benta leading the charge for search and arrest warrants almost every month with suspects arrested along with guns and drugs confiscated. I hear the St. Croix officers catching burglary suspects red handed. I see arrests often and I understand, again from Chief Benta, that out of the seven killings on St. Croix this year they have suspects in six of them and "they will not rest" until the rest are behind bars.
I don't hear this type of exuberance from the St. Thomas officers. What is going on with Police Chief Rodney Querrard? When he came on the job he was all gung –ho. Is he burnt out? Bending under pressure? I am not hearing of the arrests, warrants, even traffic stops are almost non-existent on St. Thomas. How many suspects in this years murders on St. Thomas been captured? Maybe one or two.
St. Croix got several trouble areas under control by tearing down shacks where drug dealers hang out, is this being done on St. Thomas? Maybe some St. Croix officers need to come to St. Thomas and show us how policing is done.
McCall is the head of the police department, the chiefs run operations. One chief is effectively doing his job and the media is reflecting his successes. The other chief is sadly lacking of any successes and the price being paid is the peace and tranquility of St. Thomas.
Brent Johnson
Red Hook, St. Thomas
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